This invention relates to a warning system that will automatically activate a vehicle""s warning lights for alerting a driver of a following vehicle when a leading vehicle is decelerating by way of solely downshifting. This system is adapted to be utilized with conventional vehicle warning lighting systems.
Vehicles are normally equipped with conventional brake lights that are turned on upon activation of the brake pedal when slowing down or stopping the vehicle. A driver in a following vehicle will be alerted accordingly. However, the driver of a following vehicle will generally receive no such warning if the leading vehicle is decelerating by way of solely downshifting.
The present invention contemplates the automatic activation of the vehicle""s warning lights upon deceleration by downshifting. Thus the following vehicle will see the warning lights when the leading vehicle decelerates by downshifting and be able to react more quickly thereby avoiding a collision which might otherwise occur.
Each year, in the United States alone, there are approximately twelve million auto accidents resulting in more than forty thousand deaths and two million injuries. It is estimated that approximately half are rear-end type collisions. If the invention disclosed herein could reduce these figures by only five percent, the human and financial benefits would be enormous.
Modern highway systems in or near metropolitan areas are designated to accommodate large volumes of high speed vehicular traffic. It appears, however, that many commuters who use these highways on a regular basis are so familiar with the layout of the roadway that they become complacent and follow too closely or fail to use proper caution under circumstances of reduced visibility. This has resulted in an alarming increase in the frequency and severity of chain reaction collisions both in this country and abroad.
The Downshifting Warning System according to the present invention, by providing the earliest possible indication of deceleration, would greatly diminish the frequency and severity of such events.
The use of brake lights is known in the prior art. More specifically, brake lights heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements. Known prior art brake lights include U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,225; U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,647; U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,782; U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,782; U.S. Pat. No. 4,034,338; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 332,234.
Various systems exist for controlling vehicle brake lights to indicate braking situations to following vehicles. The conventional system is a mechanical switch that closes on brake activation to energize the brake lights. Then, upon release of the brake switch, the switch opens and the lights extinguish.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,990,887 discloses a brake light arrangement that provides a time delay in the extinguishing of lighted brake lights. Thus, when the lights are energized they will continue to be illuminated for a predetermined period of time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,139,115 discloses a system in which the brake lights are lighted in the usual manner under normal braking conditions but flash when the anti-lock braking system of the vehicle is activated.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,023,221 discloses a system in which the hazard lights are lighted during emergency situations involving hard braking and rapid deceleration of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,105,994; 4,158,833; and 5,852,399 each disclose a system comprising an open switch located on a standard transmissions gear shift module which activates the vehicle""s brake lights when the transmission""s gear shift lever engages the receiving gear module, thus closing the circuit.
In these respects, the Downshifting Warning System according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus for alerting a driver of a following vehicle when a leading vehicle is decelerating by way of solely downshifting.